From the Pastor's Pen - August 11
As always, I thank you for the time I had away till last week. Much of it was in my car
again, with spacious time to reflect on and, truly, celebrate several things happening in the parish and beyond. I saw several sets of families, and enjoyed the water of the ocean (though it was cold.) And I enjoyed truly great art in Washington D.C. and
Philadelphia—classics like Rembrandt and Cezanne, and contemporary things that are so exciting to me. I recommend you enriching your thoughts with a visit to, say, our St. Louis Art Museum, the classic building or the new wing. There is a deep connection between art and faith.
One joy I took with me is the progress on Evangelization we’ve made. This includes, in a big way, the archdiocese coming to us, as of yesterday, with area-wide training held in our hall. This will continue on the 2nd Saturdays for 10 months, from 9-12. If you wish to join in this way, call the parish office or just come in September—we’ll publish the dates.
Fr. Nickolai and I both addressed the painful area of clergy abuse of children, after Archbishop Carlson published a list of any priests with “credible allegations” going back 50 years. This was in advance of a list soon to come out by the Missouri Attorney General. While this is a broad societal problem, with similar percentages of offenders among all groups, special harm is done to those who are victimized by someone in a position of great trust and faith. The Church continues efforts of screening applicants at every stage, and monitoring all in ministry, ordained or not. You can find more of our response on the parish website under Protecting God’s Children.
Yes, our school is beginning already! This is the second year for All Saints Academy, at our St. Rose Philippine Duchesne site. Enrollment is stable, and with several new faculty members, the most prominent one is our new principal, Dr. Mark Gilligan. He brings deep training, a lot of experience, and very clear evident faith. We hope for a stronger and stronger connection with the school.
Fr. Tom
